Joint-binder.



E. C. GLARDON.

JOINT BINDER.

APPLICATION man ocT 20,1913.

Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

T E NORRIS PETERS Cu. FHOTC-LITHO, WASHINGTON, n. c

EIDOUARD CHARLES GLARDON, OF HAMBURG, GERMANY.

JOINT-BINDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

Application filed October 20, 1913. Serial N 0. 796,275.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDOUARD CHARLES- GLARDON, a citizen of the Swiss Republic, and resident of N 0. 8/14 Speersort, Hamburg, in the Empire of Germany, have invented new and useful Improvements Connected with Joint-Binders, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements connected with joint binders, such as are used for binding together wooden planks, boards and the like and especially for securing the lids or covers on chests and boxes to safeguard the contents of the latter against pilfering and fraudulent access being had thereto.

More particularly the invention relates to that known class of joint binders, which consists of a U-shaped safety clamp, the perforated shanks of which are to be driven into the two parts to be secured together and of a flat barbed nail, which is driven into the said two parts and through the per forations of the shanks until its head is countersunk in one of those parts, to prevent the clamp from being withdrawn without leaving evidence that it had been tampered with.

The special object of this invention is to render more efficient and serviceable in operationjoint binders of the kind referred to.

With these ends in view the invention consists in the novel combination arrangement and adaptation of parts, all as more fully hereinafter explained, shown in the accompanying drawings and then specifically set out in the appended claim.

In the drawings Figure 1 shows the improved joint binder in perspective back elevation, Fig. 2 shows the improved joint binder in its application for connecting the lid with the body of a box.

The improved joint binder consists in the usual manner of a U-shaped safety clamp comprising two parallelly arranged shanks and a web inter-connecting the two shanks, the web, which may be termed the back of the clamp, being formed integral with the two shanks, and the latter showing each a hole in corresponding arrangement for the reception of the customary flat barbed rail which secures the clamp in place.

The unauthorized separation of the two parts connected together by means of a joint binder of the nature set forth is possible by cutting with a thin and sharp chisel along the two parallel side edges of the Web or back of the clamp in one of the two parts connected together (the lid of the box), whereupon this part (the lid) can be forcibly taken off from the other part (the body of the box), the clamp remaining in place in the body of the box and tearing that block of wood from the lid of the box which the back of the clamp covered and which Was laterally margined by the chisel cuts. On carefully replacing the lid, the several clamps take up their original place in the lid again without leaving any noticeable traces that the box has been fraudulently opened. To prevent this unauthorizedseparation of the two parts connected together by means of the said U-shaped safety clamps, the web or back of the clamp must be reduced at its parallel side edges, so that the block of wood covered by the web or back is dovetailed toward the shanks and therefore cannot be torn off by cutting with a chisel along the side edges of the web or back. However even in forming the Web or back of the clamp of reduced width in comparison with the width of the shanks, the separation of the two parts connected together by means of such a clamp is possible, without leaving clear traces, if a thin and sharp chisel or knife is guided in the joint groove against the web or back of the clamp, thus dividing the latter into two parts, which when re-united carefully show hardly any traces of their division. According to the present invention this division of the clamps is rendered diflicult, so that noticeable traces of the illegal attempt of opening the joint remain clearly visible. To that end the parallel side edges of the web or back of the clamp are each provided with curvilinear excisions, two on each side meeting in an outwardly directed pointed head at or about the center of the web or back. This novel configuration of the side edges of the web or back of the clamp obtains the effect, that a chisel or knife when guided in the joint groove against the web or back is sure to slip off in meeting the pointed head and in slipping off the marginal edges of the pointed head it must scrape or chase either one or the other of these edges in a manner that cannot be overlooked even on a cursory examination of the boxes on receipt of them.

Referring to the drawings, a denotes the web or back of the clamp, 6 denote the shanks to be driven into the two parts to be connected together, 0 denote corresponding holes in the two shanks b for the reception of the nail which secures the clamp against extraction, (1 denotes the joint groove between the lid 6 and the boX f and g denotes the pointed head produced by the two curvilinear excisions on each side of the web or back a.

A chisel or knife guided along the joint groove 0? contacts with the pointed head 9, which registers with the groove d. According to the force spent in driving the chisel or knife against the web or back a with the intention of severing the latter, the edges bordering the pointed head g will be more or less scraped. The traces unavoidable by this scraping are a reliable indication of the illegal attempt to break the joint.

I do not desire to be understood as limiting myself to the detail construction and arrangement of parts as herein shown and 1 described, as it is manifest that variations and modifications therein may be resorted to, in the adaptation of my invention to varying conditions of use, Without depart- Copies of this patent may be obtained for ing from the spirit and scope of my invention and improvements. I therefore reserve the right to all such variation and modification as properly falls within the scope of my invention and the terms of the following claim.

What I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A U-shaped joint binder or clamp the back or web of which interconnecting the two legs or shanks of said clamp being formed on each side with a single point ar ranged about midway between the ends of the back or web, such point being produced by gradually reducing the width of said back or web from the center of each side edge of said back toward opposite ends of said back substantially as and for the purpose set forth. Y

In witness whereof I have hereuntosigned my name this 3d day of October, 1913, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDOUARD CHARLES GLARDON.

Witnesses:

ERNEST H. L. MUMMENHOFF, IDA CHRIs'r. HAFERMANN.

Washington, D. C. 7 

